NATIONAL NURSES WEEK, MAY 6–12
BY NELSON A. KING
In recognition of
Nurses’ Week, the St.
Vincent and the Grenadines
Retired Nurses
Association (SVGRNA)
is saluting nurses in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines
and around the
world who are on the
frontlines of the battle
against the novel coronavirus
(COVID-19).
Nurses Week is celebrated
around the world
from May 6 – 12, with the
commemoration of International
Nurses Day on
May 12.
May 12 is also recognized
as the 200th birthday
of the iconic Florence
Nightengale.
“We salute all nurses,
especially those on the
COVID-19 frontlines for
their dedication to the
profession, the sacrifi ces
made to the preservation
of health and life, and
we honor them for their
suffering and forbearance
as they deal with
the staggering numbers
of illnesses and deaths
in such a short period of
time,” said Advira Providence,
SVGRNA president,
in a statement on
Sunday.
She also said that “it
is important to remember
that the practices and
guidelines that modern
nursing practice follow
today is due to Nightengale’s
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18 COURIER LIFE, MAY 8-14, 2020
“dedicated work,”
stating that the practice
of regular hand-washing
that is widely recommended
to help stop the
spread of the coronavirus
today was “implemented
and rigorously
promoted” by Nightengale
“as a means to reduce
the spread of infection.”
“When the International
Council of Nurses
in collaboration with the
World Health Organization
launched the ‘Nursing
Now’ campaign, and
designated the year 2020
as the year of the nurse
and midwife, no one realized
how meaningful
this would become, as
the COVID-19 pandemic
was not on the horizon.,”
said Providence, a
former president of the
Brooklyn-based St. Vincent
and the Grenadines
Nurses Association of
New York, Inc.
“We became aware of
it some time in February;
and, since then, it has
swiftly and aggressively
taken over the world,
becoming the fi rst pandemic
in most people’s
lifetime, killing thousands
and seriously impacting
the nurses on the
frontlines,” she added.
As the novel coronavirus
ravages the world,
she said many nurses
fi nd themselves on the
frontlines of this “war”,
“being involved in testing
of persons, contact
tracing, working in Isolation,
Intensive Care
Units, and Nursing
Homes, bringing them in
direct contact with persons
affected with the virus.
The risk is great!”
Providence noted that
nurses leave their homes
and families for days or
even weeks, communicating
with their children
and families via
Face Time, and other media,
stating that “sadly,
some never return to
them.”
She said working as
a nurse “carries with
it serious risks that
many overlooked, as
they moved towards the
frontlines with passion
in their hearts, exercising
their calling to fi ght
this invisible enemy,
COVID-19, the novel corona
virus.”
Providence said
nurses are helping to
ensure family members
can contact their loved
ones to say goodbye.
“They are carrying
out their duties while
holding hands, praying
with, singing and comforting
Back row, from left: Joan Mayers, Ann DeRoche and Anita
Williams Front row, from left: Zeitha Hadaway, Advira Providence
(President) and Clari Gilbert. Photo by Joan Mayers
their patients,”
she said.
Providence said many
nurses and other healthcare
workers have lost
their lives, and that some
fi nd themselves in “the
very heartbreaking position
of having to care
for sick and dying colleagues.”
But, despite this, she
said “nurses are answering
the call to be on the
frontlines around the
world and many more far
from home.”
“As we commemorate
this week, we are
reminded that we are a
profession that assumes
responsibility for the
continuous care of the
sick, the injured, the
disabled and the dying,”
said Providence. “We
take this responsibility
seriously.”
SVG retired nurses salute frontline nurses
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